Fire Away
by calleighstorres
Summary: Calleigh goes to a house to interview a key witness.. but the witness is nowhere to be seen and she's taken hostage as the house is set on fire. Has spoilers. CaRWash.


**Disclaimer: I don't own CSI Miami,, and I've had to rewrite this multiple times as it kept deleting itself. Pls. **

**Authors Notes - Calleigh goes into a house to look for a missing key witness, only for flames to erupt from the kitchen. Ryan, who was interviewing witnesses, immediately notices. Basically another scenario where the iconic duo are in a dilemma.**

**"FIRE AWAY" **

"I smell smoke." Calleigh radioed to him from inside the house. Ryan looked over and saw a fire in the kitchen window. "There's a kitchen fire!" he radioed back to her, clipping his radio to his jeans and running over to the house.

"SOMEONE CALL FIRE AND RESCUE!"

Ryan entered the burning house, avoiding the ceiling that was caving in. The flames were already starting to spread and he could only hope Calleigh was doing her best to stay low and avoid the fumes at all costs. She couldn't die. Not now. Not when he was attempting to get her out of there. Under any conditions. Even if it meant dying in the process.

Scrounging around the house, he heard a call come from her radio. "If you want to see your girlfriend again, come to the first floor." He wasn't sure which bastard had decided to hold her hostage, but he wasn't getting away with it. If Ryan ever saw that man, he'd get a fist to the face from him personally. Even though Calleigh wasn't his girlfriend, he really did care about her more than anyone would ever realise. Including Calleigh herself.

Sirens were going off outside and smoke was starting to form in the atmosphere. Ryan climbed what was left of the stairs to the next floor which was half disintegrated already. There was so much going on. But he had to stay focused on getting his partner. No cop is left behind. Ryan has never missed out a man. Or woman. And today was not his day to lose his best friend.

That's when he came across a man holding a gun to Calleigh's head while she was sat down and handcuffed to a gas pipe. He pulled his gun. One miss and they'd all blow up like that. It was going to take more than just good aim. "I would drop that if I were you." He threatened the suspect.

The man laughed evilly. "You're too late anyway." He was about to pull the trigger, when Ryan shot him point blank in the head and ran over. Shifting the weapon over with his foot, he kneeling on the ground and used a pin to hack the lock and get the handcuffs off Calleigh's wrists.

Calleigh watched carefully as he did so. Then the whole ceiling came down. He hunched over Duquesne, holding her close to his chest. And when it had briefly stopped, Ryan noticed the rubble surrounding her feet from the ankles down. "It hurts." she grimaced, biting her lip. Ryan scooped all the rubble off her feet without hesitation and checked them over.

"I think my ankle is broken."

"Okay. Hold onto me."

Ryan took off his jacket and gave it to her, telling her to use the inside to cover her nose and mouth. She complied with not much of a choice. Then he picked her up in his arms, bridal style, and held her with the strength in his arms. He would have to die before he dropped her. And that was the truth.

He travelled through the clouds of smoke and puffs of ash that were created along with the flames.

From the outside, everybody watched the whole place light up with rows of flames that were just in a chain. No sight of the missing CSI that had ran into the house. There was people from all different networks, behind the yellow tape, filming for content.

Horatio, Alexx and Eric were getting a first hand account of them possibly dying in that house fire. Then the whole thing just collapsed and massive clouds of smoke emerged from the building, making it hard to see past it. But when it cleared, their accounts soon changed.

From the fallen buildings entrance, was Ryan Wolfe carrying Calleigh Duquesne in his arms.

Gasps came from everybody. None of who had expected him to even make it out, with Calleigh. He was no firefighter. Ryan Wolfe was a police officer who had done this sort of stuff on patrol. only less severe. In events of fire, he knew one of two rules. Run or defend. And the younger man had to defend his partner who was stuck in the house with the man who had held her hostage. He died in there. And Ryan felt no remorse for that justified shooting.

Paramedics helped get her lying on a gurney. She removed the blazer from her airways and breathed. "Thank you." she muttered to him. Ryan nodded to her, telling her to keep the blazer. The blonde tightened her grip on it with a faint smile.

While she got transported to hospital, Ryan started coughing. "Mr Wolfe, you did it." The young CSI nodded once again, unable to respond with the amount of coughing he was doing in that short amount of time. It was making him slightly nauseous. He felt a knot in his chest.

"Mr Wolfe?" No answer. Ryan didn't want to risk throwing up. "I'm- I'm good." he stuttered, unbuttoning his shirt as his breathing became heavier.

"I NEED AN AMBULANCE!" Horatio shouted as Wolfe continued to cough horrendously, facing some serious nausea. Alexx rushed over, putting his back gently as he wheezed and spluttered. Seeing Ryan suffer gave Eric an uneasy feeling. He'd given everything to putting Calleigh first that he hadn't thought about himself at all. Which could be seriously damaging. "Let it all out, baby." The medical examiner cooed. She was truly worried about him. He was like a son to her. And he didn't look too good.

* * *

It wasn't long before Calleigh was back at work. Confined to her Ballistics Lab and the gunnery because of her ankle fracture. She was only crutches for at least a month or so. But she was just grateful to be back at work in the first place. And she had Ryan to thank for it. Otherwise she was sure she would've died right there and then.

Nobody had really seen Ryan for too long. He'd been on sick leave for quite a few weeks. In hospital most of the time. Getting treatment for the damage to his body internally. Luckily though, nothing had gotten too damaged. His lungs hadn't been scarred and the nausea had passed after hours of throwing up the same night as he was in hospital. Not a nice time.

He was on some medication for the pain. Although he had recovered, there was one thing that had changed.

And it was noticeable when he first arrived back after two months off work. Since then, Calleigh's ankle was as good as new and she was back in the firing line. Natalia was back from her holiday in Cuba as well. She had missed a lot. Eric had been checking up on Calleigh more too.

"Hey Paula," Ryan said, signing himself in.

"Ryan! Hi! Your voice is.." "Scarred? I know." he huffed, putting down the pen and making his way to the break room.

On his journey, he saw the way to Firearms. And he was tempted to go and surprise her. He had arrived in the middle of a case after all. Which generally was his had. Painkillers did alter his memory a bit. But it was all to get better.

'Go see her.' his mind screamed, making him change direction and go in the direction he had wanted to go in.

Ryan opened the door and saw Calleigh observing the barrel of a revolver. He crept up behind her, running a hand through his hair. Just as she was about to turn around, the older woman jumped in fright. "Uh Ryan! No scaring me!" The younger man chuckled. "Can't help it. Old habits die hard." His voice was much more hoarse. She knew what this had meant. That he had sustained burning in his throat somewhere that had impacted his voice.

Calleigh didn't mind though. This was so much deeper than his voice. And seeing him after so long was so good. "You're lucky you're cute and injured." "Oh thanks!" he responded sarcastically. She playfully nudged him. Ryan nudged her back with a smile forming on his face.

"Feeling better?"

"It's that's the best way to describe it.. yeah."

The Ballistics expert nodded. "Don't scare me again." He moved closer, almost towering over her. "What if I do?" Because his voice was already so husky, Calleigh could feel her inner heat rising. "Ryan.." was all she could answer with. He was teasing. Seeing what would happen. And it was working. She was very turned on.

"I'm trying to work and you're distracting me."

He chuckled. "That was the aim," she rolled her eyes, "See you later, Cal." with that, he removed himself from the close range to her body and left the Ballistics lab. If anyone saw that, he was dead. And he'd called her babe. Unfamiliar, but she liked it.

Ryan had risked his life to save hers, and for that, she wasn't going to take his friendship for granted. Because whatever happened - if they became lovers or remained good friends, she knew that he would never intentionally leave her on her own in such a threatening situation. Calleigh had a friend for life in him. And that she was sure of.


End file.
